


Soulmate Agony

by orphan_account



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Soulmates, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 22:51:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21238724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Any injury one part of a soulbond receives is mirrored onto the other person, to a varying severity.Gabriel grew up forced to wear long sleeves and layers of makeup, loathing his soulmate.





	Soulmate Agony

Gabriel used to hate his soulmate, back in high school and college.

Truly hate, with all of his being.

He knew that, logically, it wasn't their fault. The injuries that they were receiving seemed mostly inflicted on them by others. But it was hard not to be angry when he had to buy makeup to hide bruises that weren't even his. Thank god the damage was more muted on his end than theirs, else it would have been harder to hide.

As time waned on, he felt more pity than rage. Because these heavy bruises - on their face, their arms, their back... There was only one real source it could be coming from.

He wished he could contact them somehow. But to do that would mean carving letters into his arm, and he really wasn't up for that.

His soulmate seemed less bothered by the idea.

Because into his adult years, he had to wear long sleeves. There were now always fresh red lines on his arms, that _hurt god fucking damn it_, and he hated it. He couldn't help but wonder if the bruises had led his soulmate down this path.

On his end, he mostly just gained small scrapes here and there, or pricking his finger with a needle on accident whilst sewing. He hoped his soulmate didn't feel them at all; they were mild pains after all, and with how much pain was dampened through their link... Well, hopefully it was enough for the pain to just not register. Despite how much pain his soulmate caused him, he didn't want to lash back out at them.

See, with soul mates, all pain and injuries are shared, but it depends on how far apart the two are physically. If they are in different countries and one is stabbed, the other will gain a small cut on their body in that same area. However, if they were in the same city, their injuries would be almost exactly the same.

His soulmate seemed to also be in France, at least from what he could tell from the slight severity of his injuries. But they could be worse.

As he grew older and older, the injuries came less. When he was 27, nearly 28, the bruises stopped coming through the link. Thus, he assumed his soulmate must have just moved out, and away from the people hurting them. They were likely much younger than him then, if they had only recently been able to leave.

That idea of such a large age gap was... Unsettling to him. Suddenly, the thought of meeting his soulmate became one that caused heavy discomfort.

A year later, he met Emilie Fontaine. She also didn't want to meet her soulmate, and with her melodic laugh and bright green eyes, he was instantly charmed. She may not be his soulmate (her wrists were bare and her parents were lovely) but he had never felt closer or more attuned to another person before, and he found that he didn't regret kissing her at all. 

Just a year after, they were married and Emilie was expecting.

The unit of just Gabriel, Emilie and Adrien Agreste carried on quite happily for a while, though his soul bond still gave Gabriel some trouble. Whilst the bruises had stopped, the cuts hadn't, though they were becoming lesser and more shallow. They also seemed to have a habit for pressing the nib of a pen into their palm; Gabriel could recognise that indent shape anywhere. He himself sometimes idly did it when he wasn't paying attention.

They must be both in Paris, now. Else he wouldn't feel it so much more acutely than before.

When Adrien was 8, he decided to hire a woman named Nathalie Sancoeur.

She was 28, with a nice small smile and a polite way of speaking. She was quiet but professional and succinct. She found her way around the Manor and his technology quite quickly. She outlasted every previous employee.

His fashion had become renowned. Gabriel Agreste was becoming one of the most well known names in all of France.

Emilie passed. Hawkmoth was born.

The cuts had stopped for many years. They began again a few months after he had began his second life as a supervillain. Part of him felt guilty. After all, it was likely that the terror of his akumas may be causing his soulmate pain.

And as he winced and jerked as pain drove itself through his hand, startling off the akuma he had just been about to channel his power into, Nathalie jammed a sharp pencil into the centre of her palm.


End file.
